Salter



Dec. 27, 1932. P. E. PEARSON SALTER Filed May 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet LilINVENTOR P401. 5.

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 27, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL E.PEARSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINENTAL CAN COM- PANY,INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK SALTER Application filed May 1, 1930.Serial No. 449,035.

This invention relates to salters, and it has reference in particular tomachines designed for use in a canning line for dispensing meas uredamounts of salt into the cans as they are advanced in succession to thefilling machines. v

Heretofore, machines for the above purpose have been used in operativeconnection with can conveyers, as is the machine in the presentinstance, and the salt dispensing valves of the machines have been timedto operate at regular intervals in accordance with the movement of theconveyer. While such machines to a certain extent have beensatisfactory, there has been the undesirable results of spilling andwasting salt in the event that the cans became out of time, or when thedelivery of cans. by the conveyer became irregular or exhausted, sinceno satisfactory provision has heretofore been made to positively time,or stop the cans to receive the-salt, or has any means been provlded tocause the discharging of salt to be discontinued in the event no can ispresent on the conveyer to receive it. In other words, the salter, asheretofore used, was operated to deliver certain amounts of salt atregular intervals and this result took place so long as the machine wasin operation and regardless of whether or not'cans were in position toreceive the salt.

In view of the above undesirable results of machines as heretofore used,it has been the principal object of the present invention to provide animproved mechanism whereby the movement of the cans to the machlne isaccurately timed in accordance with the actuation of the salt dispensingvalve so that no salt is wasted by reason of the can pass- 40 ing thevalve too soon or too slow, since it is manifest that unless the cansare accurately timed in accordance with the action of the dispensingdevice "much salt can be wasted.

It is also an object to-provide for temporarily stopping each canbeneath the discharge valve eration as soon as the can supply isresumed.

More specifically stated, the present invention resides in the provisionof a salter in which a Worm shaft is employed to time the delivery ofthe cans to the salt receiving position and to then hold them thereduring the salt dispensing operation of the valve. Also to provide fordriving the valve through.

a clutch connection, and to provide a release lever normally held ininoperative position by cans in the line, but which operates incident tothe absence of a can in the line to release the clutch so that no saltwill be delivered at that time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a salt dispensing valve ofnovel construction.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details ofconstruction, and in the combination of parts, and in their mode ofoperation, as will hereinafter be described.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is afront elevation of a salter embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail through the salt hopper illustrating theconstruction of the dispensing valve.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section transversely of the machine, through thesalt hopper and dispensing valve.-

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the clutch mechanism which provides thedriving connection for the salt dispensing valve; this view taken online 55 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the timing worm which times thedelivery of cans to the salter.

Referring more in detail to the drawings,-

In a preferred form of construction, the present machine comprises ahorizontally disposed base or frame structure which is supported atsuitable height by end frames, or legs 2-2; these being bolted to theframe and are braced by a connecting cross bar, or rod 3. Mounted at oneend of the frame 1 is a transverse shaft 4 revolubly supported inbearings 5-5, and equipped at its outer end with a belt wheel 6 throughwhich it may be driven. A sliding clutch 7 is keyed on the shaft 4'andis adjustable, by means of a hand lever 8, into and from locked relationwith clutch jaws 6 formed on the hub of the belt wheel to throw themachine into or out of gear. The hand lever 8 is pivotally supported atits lower end by means of a bolt 9 mounted in a bracket 9' that is fixedto the main frame, and connection between the lever and the clutchcollar 7 is provided by a pin 8' fixed in the lever and extended intothe encircling groove 7 of the collar.

At the end of the frame 1, opposite that which carries the shaft '4, isa transverse shaft 10 revolubly mounted in suitable bearings, as at 10,and a pair of conveyer chain belts 11-11, in spaced relation, operateabout the sprocket wheels 12 and 13 that are fixed on the shaft 4 and 10respectively. The top runs of the two conveyer belts are contained inguide grooves 15 in the top wall of the frame 1, and they serve as meanson which the cans 16 are moved through the machine and past the salter.Sprocket wheels 17 and 18 are fixed on the shafts 4 and 10 respectivelyand they carry conveyer chain belts 19 and 20, see Figure 2, whereby thecans may be brought to and taken away from the machine. The two parallelconveyer belts 1111 are advanced incident to rotation of the shaft 4 andthey drive the shaft 10, which through mechanism presently described,drives the salt dispensing valve mechanism.

Mounted on the frame 1 along one side of and parallel with the conveyerchains, is a timing worm shaft 24. This is revolubly mounted at its endsin bearings 25 and 26. One end of the worm shaft is equipped with abeveled, driving ear 27 which meshes with and is driven by a veled gear28; the latter gear being mounted on a driven shaft 29 that is disposeddirectly above the shaft 10, and is supported by a bearing 30; thebearing 30 being su ported by a bracket 31 that is fixed t0 the rame 1.Spur gears 32 and 33 are fixed in mesh on the shafts 24 and 10respectively, so that the worm shaft is rotated in accordance with theadvance movement of the conveyer belts 11-11.

The cans 16, which are delivered by belt 20 onto the conveyer belts11-11, are urged against the spiral thread of the worm shaft by anoutwardly yieldable pressure shoe 34. This shoe is pivotally mounted bya bolt 35, and it is urged against the cans by pressure thereagainst ofa counterweight 36. The worm 1n the present instance advances slowerthan the conveyer belts and therefore it acts to retard the advancemovement of the cans. In this way, the worm serves to positively timethe delivery of the cans to the salt receiving position.

The salter mechanism consists of a container 40 that is supported by abracket 41 adjustably fixed to the base frame 1 so that the saltermechanism may be raised or lowered to suit the height of the cans thatare being passed through the machine. The salt container is ofhopper-like form and at the base is provided with a discharge opening 42beneath which is a delivery spout 43 through which salt is delivered tothe cans as they pass successively beneath the device.

The means for measuring and dispensing the salt consist of a disc valve45 that is rotatably fitted within a circular portion at the base of thehopper. This disk is provided with a drive shaft 46 that extendsoutwardly from the housing through a bearing 47, and at its outer end isequipped with a gear 48 which is driven by a spur gear 49 earned on ashaft 50, and which, in turn, is revolubly mounted in a. bearing 51formed integral with the side plate of the hopper. A sprocket 52 isfixed on the outer end of shaft 50 in alinement with a similar sprocket53 on the end of the shaft 10, and a drive belt 54 extends about thesesprockets to provide a driving connection between the salter and shaft10. Formed diametrically of the discharge valve, is a channel 56 inwhich a slide 57 is fitted. The slide is of a somewhat shorter lengththan the diameter of the valve, as is shown in Fig. 3, and it has twostuds 58 and 59 extended therefrom into a cam opening 60 in a circularplate 61 that is fixed, as shown best in Figure 1, to the face of thehopper.

The function of the cam plate and the studs is to produce a back andforth sliding action of the slide asthe disc valve revolves so thatcertain measured amounts of salt will be taken into the upper end of thechannel when the parts are in position as in Fig. 3, then when this endof the channel has been rotated to a position over the discharge spout,the

.slide will be actuated downwardly to discharge the salt and by thismovement to open the upper end of the channel to receive the charge forthe next can.

There is also provided an agitator and acker 65 on the inner end of theshaft 50.

his consists of a plurality of radially directed fingers which rotatewith the shaft to keep the salt stirred up and in loose condition.

One of the principal features of the present machine resides in thedetails of con-- struction of the timing worm whereby the cans are heldin position directly below the dispensing valve spout 43 during theperiod of time that the valve is discharging. This is accomplished byextending the thread of the worm directly about the worm shaft at theproper place, as indicated at in F igures 1, 2 and 6. It will be notedthat the thread 65 leads spirally along the worm shaft up to thisposition and is then extended dlrectly about the shaft for approximatelyone hundred eighty degrees and then tapers off in a spiral direction.This portion 65' of the thread is in a plane at right angle to the shaftand positively stops the advance movement of the cans directly beneaththe discharge valve and retains them stationary during the period thatthesalt is being dispensed. By this provision, much salt is saved asordinarily the movement of the can is not interrupted and the salt isdischarged while the can is passing, and incidentally, much salt isspilled onto the can edges and to the outside of the can.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the means forpreventing delivery of salt in the event no can is on the conveyer toreceive it. It is to be observed that the salt dispensing valve isoperated through a driving connection with the shaft 10. Thisconstruction comprises the sprocket belt 54 and the sprocket wheel 53that is driven by the shaft 10. The sprocket wheel 53, in this instance,is revolubly mounted on the shaft but is driven through the medium of alooking pawl that is pivotally mounted by a pin 71 on a drum 72 that isfixed on the shaft 10, as shown best in Figures 5 and 6. A small spring73 is attached to the drum and to the pawl and this normally holds theinner end of the pawl in driving contact with a shoulder 75 formed onthe hub portion of the sprocket wheel. The opposite end of the pawlextends outwardly from the drum, as in Fig. 5. So long as thisconnection is provided, the shaft 10 operates to drive the sprocket 53and this, through the belt and gears previously described, rotates thesalt dispensing valve. Pivotally mounted on a stud supported by abracket 81 from the side of the frame 1, as shown in Figures 1 and 7, isa lever 85 having an elongated end portion extended into the path oftravel of cans delivered to the salter, and having a short opposite enddisposed directly above the drum which carries the pawl 70 butnormallyout of the path of rotative movement of the pawl. A spring 86 isattached to the per to receive material therefrom, a worm-L lever todraw the longer end portion thereof inwardly into the path of movementof the cans 16. The presence of cans on the conveyer operates to retainthe lever at such position that its shorter end portion does not come incontact with the outer, extended end of the locking pawl 70, but in theevent that a can is absent from the conveyer, the spring 86 pulls thelever inwardly thereby causing its shorter end portion to swingoutwardly, as shown at 85 in dotted lines in- Figure 2, so that itdirectly overlies the ath of the pawl and when the outer end 0 the pawlengages therewith, its inner end is thereby released from drivingconnection with the hub of the sprocket wheel 53, and the drivingconnection with the salter is thereby temporarily disconnected, and no,salt is dispensed. As soon as the can supply on the conveyer again isresumed, the lever 85 is actuated outwardly and this releases theshorter end from the pawl and causes the pawl to again engage theshoulder 75 and operation of the salt dispensing valve to be resumed. 590 It is to be understood that the various gears and sprockets employedin the driving connections are so arranged that the movement of the cansis positively timed in accordance with the rotative movement of thedispensingfi valve and the salt is dispensed exactly at the proper timeto prevent any possible waste.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine of the character described, comprising a materialcontaining hopper, a continuously moving conveyer by which cans aredelivered in succession beneath the hopshaft adjacent the conveyer andoperable to space the cans and to time their dehvery to and fromreceiving pos tion, a dispensing valve in the hopper operable insynchronism with the worm shaft to deliver measuredi amounts of materialto each can while in receiving position, a driving means for the valvemechanism including a releasable connection, and means operable incidentto the absence of cans in regular order of delivery 11 to the hopper toactuate the releasable connection to temporarily discontinue actuationof the valve mechanism. 3

2. A machine of the character described, comprising a materialcontaining hopper, a; conveyer belt on which cans are delivered insuccession beneath the hopper to receive material therefrom, a wormshaft associated with the conveyer whereby the cans are timed in theirdelivery to and from receiving posi-L. tion, a dispensing valve in thehopper operable to deliver measured amounts of material therefrom to thecans while in receiving positions, means for rotating the worm shaft,means synchronized therewith for actuatingii1130 the valve insynchronism with the worm shaft including a continuously revolvingshaft, a revoluble element operatively connected with the valve andhaving a clutch shoulder, and a releasable clutch pawl mounted on theshaft and normally engageable with the shoulder to effect a drivingconnection with the revoluble element for actuating the valve, a pivotedlever extended into the path of delivery of cans to the machine andnormally held in inactive position by the cans, and a spring for movingthe said lever incident to the absence of a can in regular order intoposit on to engage with and release the clutch pawl to precludeactuation of the dispensing valve.

3. In a machine of the character described, a hopper provided with adischarge opening, a dispensing valve for controlling the delivery ofmaterial through the opening; said valve comprising a disc revoluble inthe opening and provided at one side with a transverse channel, theopposite ends of which are successively presented to the interior of thehopper and to the discharge opening as the disc revolves, a slide fittedin the channel and which is of shorter length than the channel, a camplate fixed to the hopper to overlie the slide and having an openingprovided with a cam surface, means on the slide engaging the cam surfaceto effect reciprocal action of the slide as the disc revolves to permitthe intaking of material from the hopper into the channel ends as theymove through the hopper and to effect the ejection of the material asthe channel ends pass the discharge opening.

4. A salt dispensing machine, comprising a hopper having a dischargeopening, a conveyer for delivering cans in succession to the hopper, aworm shaft operable to time the delivery of cans to and from the hopperand valve mechanism synchronized with the timing means for controllingthe delivery of salt from the hopper to the cans, said dispensing valvecomprising a revoluble disc within the opening provided with atransverse channel, a slide fitted in the channel, a cam mounted on thehopper, a cam follower on the slide whereby the latter is caused toreciprocate incident to rotation of the disc to permit the intaking ofmeasured amounts of salt into the channel ends as they revolve throughthe hopper and to effect the discharge of these measured amounts to thecans.

5. In combination, a hopper having a dispensing valve, a continuouslymoving conveyer belt operating beneath the valve and on which cans maybe placed promiscuously for delivery beneath the dispensing valve toreceive material from the hopper, a continuously rotating timing screwoperable to space and time the cans as delivered on the belt to thedispensing valve and for temporarily checking the advance movement ofeach can, without removing it from the belt, when in

